The Last Damn Protein Article You’ll Ever Need to Read

The headline trickled across my newsfeed: High-Protein Diet Raises Cancer Risk As Much As Smoking.

Bang! That’s my jaw hitting the floor. Are you shitting me? Are you actually serious with this clickbait headline?

Now, I get it. Nutrition is complicated. It’s no secret there are a million diets out there. But demonizing one macronutrient as a carcinogen on par with smoking is insane.

So now I’m riled up, heavily caffeinated, and ready to settle the score on protein once and for all.

Is protein an essential piece of a muscle-building, fat-burning diet?

Or, is it a demonic nutrient guaranteed to destroy your kidneys faster than a Conor McGregor punch?

Among the issues:

– How much protein you need to build muscle

– Whether you’ll lose fat faster by eating more protein

– Do you need to guzzle a shake right after training, or is that broscience?

If you’re confused about protein, you’re not alone. Which brings us to…

Ted’s Protein Story And Why It Matters

Ted is a busy guy who just wants to retake control of his health and look good naked. Three weeks into the training and nutrition plan I put together for him, everything was runnin’ smooth.

Ted dropped a few pounds of fat and texted: “I’m getting rid of this Dad-bod.”

Hell, yeah. He was stoked.

Two days later I opened my inbox to a handful of frantic messages.

“Eric, I’m concerned about my diet. After a friend noticed the results I was getting, he started talking about my diet. I told him we increased my protein intake and he said protein gives you cancer. Is this true?”

Scary headlines and everyone suddenly becoming an infographic-generating nutrition expert on Instagram contribute to the confusion. Eating healthily and transforming your body is more complicated than ever.

But you can’t live life in a double-blind study with scientists nit-picking your diet. I’m going to draw on the latest science and my experience as a coach to hundreds of clients to offer the best possible advice.

First up….

What Is Protein?

Stick with me, this is some dry #sciencestuff. Still, it’s essential if you’d like to free yourself from the bullshit-spewing clowns who make nutrition so damn confusing.

Proteins are long chains of amino acids. These structures are the building blocks of nearly every structure in your body, from your nails and hair to your cells, veins, and of course, your biceps.

There are complete proteins, those which have all 20 amino acids, like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, quinoa, and soy.

There are incomplete proteins which are missing a handful of amino acids. This is problematic as there are nine essential amino acids that are not processed by your body. If you don’t get them, you’ll have problems with tissue repair and (gulp) muscle loss. Still, you can create complete proteins by combining incomplete protein with certain plant foods combinations like beans and rice.

Protein is one of the three macronutrients (fat and carbs are the others) which make up the calorie-containing foods we eat.

And what happens when your diet is devoid of protein, as in cases of malnutrition?

Your body will break down muscle tissue into amino acids to support basic bodily functions to keep you alive.

To paraphrase my friends at Precision Nutrition:

All your enzymes and cell transporters… all your blood transporters…. all your cells’ scaffolding and structures…. 100 percent of your hair and fingernails… much of your muscle, bone, and internal organs… and many hormones…

… are made of mostly protein. Protein enables most bodily functions.

Put simply, you are basically a pile of protein.

How Much Protein You Need to Survive

The recommended daily allowance (RDA) for protein intake is 46 grams daily for women and 56 grams for men.

If your primary concern is building muscle, losing fat, and looking great then “preventing malnutrition” is far from ideal. It’s clear you need more protein than the commonly prescribed RDA’s if you want to optimize body composition.

But it’s less clear how much protein you actually need.

The most common recommendation is to aim for 1g of protein for 1 lb of bodyweight every day. Thus, a 180 lb male should have roughly 180g of protein to maximize body composition.

And for most, this is a fine recommendation because it’s simple, straight-forward, and easy to calculate without a calculus degree.

But is this more than you need?

More and more the answer appears to be yes.

This study by Hoffman et al. (2006) found no differences in body composition, strength or resting hormonal concentrations in strength athletes consuming either 0.77g/lb or >0.91g/lb over a 3 month period.

It appears .82/g/lb of bodyweight is the upper limit of protein needed to derive maximum protein synthesis, according to this 2011 study by Phillips and Van Loon.

So, why the recommendation of 1g/lb/ of bodyweight?

First, it’s easier to remember. And if you’re going to overeat one macro it’s better to overeat protein than carbs or fat.

Second, research can be a finicky little bitch. Protein peddlers who benefit greatly from the sales of protein pixie dust (kudos to Bryan Krahn for the term) fund private research companies who unsurprisingly conclude “more is better” when it comes to protein consumption. Protein candy bars pack with fat and sugar? Sure! It’s good for you. Because protein.

So, what’s the difference between 1g and .82g?

Using a 180lb jacked bro as an example, 180x.82= 147 g of protein per day. Most protein scoops are 25-30 g per serving. And 147+30? 177g, or damn near 1g of protein per 1/b of bodyweight. Not to play conspiracy theorist, but the slight difference makes you wonder.

My Take

Consuming .82 g of protein per 1 lb of bodyweight is probably enough.

But if 1g of protein per 1 lb of bodyweight is working for you, it’s fine to stick with it.

If fat loss is your primary goal, getting more protein than the average person has three huge benefits:

It prevents muscle wasting. Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue. If you’re in a calorie deficit while combining low protein your metabolism can plummet, stopping weight loss in its tracks. Combining a high-protein diet with resistance training is the perfect recipe to stave off muscle loss during a diet. Plus, when you retain muscle while carving away fat you’ll finally show off muscle definition, your #shredz, or (gulp) “tone.”

Protein keeps you full. When calories are low and you want to prevent yourself from giving in and crushing three containers of Ben and Jerry’s, protein is your best friend.

Protein burns more calories during the digestion process, as much as 30% more than carbs or fats. If you’ve ever had the meat sweats, this is why: the thermic effect of food. This means if you have 100 calories of fat (25g of protein, like 1 scoop), then your body will burn 30 calories of this amount by breaking protein into usable amino acids.

In other words, protein retains the muscle you have, keeping your metabolism from dropping and helping you look better once you’re leaner.

Protein keeps you full, helping you stay with your diet. To sweeten the pot, the meat sweats from crushing a lot of protein results in a net consumption of roughly 70% of calories due to the thermic effect of protein breakdown.

Those smart dudes in lab coats concluded high protein diets, when combined with resistance training, lead to an increase in lean muscle mass and a decrease in fat mass. In other words, lifting and eating more protein helps you lose fat and build muscle.

My Take

Again, calories are king.

I’ve found the greater the caloric deficit (the tougher the diet), the greater the need for more protein.

Eating a high protein diet is generally more satiating, meaning you’ll feel full and satisfied during a fat loss diet. If eating a higher protein diet means you’ll eat fewer refined sugars or calorie-dense fats. You’ll stay in a caloric deficit, then it’s a great idea to eat more protein.

Now, About Those Scary “Protein is Bad For You” Headlines

Here’s where things get interesting. We’ve all seen the scary headlines lie, “bacon is worse for you than smoking” or steak gives you cancer.

Terrifying headlines. That’s why they gained traction.

But are they full of shit?

I’ll let you decide, but I’ll lead with this 2016 study by Phillips et al which concluded:

A growing body of research indicates that protein intakes well above the current Recommended Dietary Allowance help to promote healthy aging, appetite regulation, weight management, and goals aligned with athletic performance. Higher protein intakes may help prevent age-related sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass, and strength that predisposes older adults to frailty, disability, and loss of autonomy.

Despite persistent beliefs to the contrary, we can find no evidence-based link between higher protein diets and renal disease or adverse bone health. “

If you want to optimize health and look better naked, eat more protein than the meager RDA’s given.

But really, does protein give you cancer?

This idea arose from the work of Dr. T Colin Campbell, author of the China study and research including work by Cell Metabolismindicating a high protein diet in midlife (50 to 65) is linked to premature death.

So, in the best interest of sensationalism and gathering pageviews, bacon=cancer.

Again, there are multiple variables at play. You can check out the study for yourself, dig into this excerpt from Examine.com’s analysis of the study (read it here):

The study found:

….“A positive correlation between moderate and high protein intakes and diabetes-related mortality, relative to the lowest intake. This persisted, albeit to a lesser degree, when looking at people over the age of 65.

No relation between higher protein intake with all-cause mortality, cancer-related mortality, or cardiovascular mortality overall. A small increase in risk was seen when looking only at people between the ages of 50-65. This risk was reversed for people above the age of 65, where dietary protein had a protective effect against all forms of mortality (excluding diabetes-related).”

What’s the link researchers are attempting to make?

Stick with me on this one. I’ll make sense of all the jargon.

Protein increases the growth hormone 1GF-1, which increases the growth of all cells…from the ones in your biceps to the cancerous ones roaming all of our bodies. So the belief is more IGF-1 equals more cancer.

But here’s the catch: lower levels of IGF-1, which occur with aging, are one of the reasons people lose muscle and become frail.

It’s been well noted that a loss of muscle mass and frailty lead to a loss of independence, an increase in falls and, as you guessed, earlier death.

While completely eliminating protein may reduce cancer risk and extend life, but it sure doesn’t appear to improve the quality of life.

My Take
By reducing your intake of animal protein you may limit your chance of certain cancers. But it’s likely you’ll also lose functional capacity, via muscle loss, which in and of itself limits the quality and duration of life. There seems to be a tradeoff of cancer prevention and quality of life.

At the end of the day, over consuming anything leads to imbalances in the body. And in this case, eliminating animal protein for the love of IGF-1 can lead to other dietary imbalances equally likely to cause ill health and yes…death.

What About Organ Damage?

There’s a belief too much protein is bad for your kidneys. This stems from research in 1983 when researchers found protein intake increased glomerular filtration rate (GFR), or the amount of blood your kidneys have filtered per minute. Thus, greater GFR means more stress on your kidneys and voila, harm.

Still, an increase in GFR doesn’t necessarily mean your kidneys are being harmed, especially if you’re healthy. Per this study and the previously mentioned study Phillips et al study in 2016, it was found that a high protein diet doesn’t impact kidney function in individuals with healthy kidneys. In fact, the Institute of Medicine concluded, “the protein content of the diet is not responsible for the progressive decline in kidney function with age” (Phillips et al., 2016).

So, what’s the word, big bird?

If you have any organ damage, kidney or otherwise, then talk with your doctor and a nutritionist about the best course of action. I consulted with my obesity doctor main man Spencer Nadolsky for you. He was kind enough to provide this graphic:

Claims of organ damage from protein appear overblown. If you have concerns or a pre-existing condition, you should consult with a doctor and a nutritionist. I am neither, but don’t see an issue for healthy people. If you’re healthy, stick to the recommended .82g/lb or 1/g/lb of protein per your body weight and you’ll be fine.

What About Protein Supplements?

Pre- versus post-exercise protein intake has similar effects on how much muscle and strength you’ll gain.

“These findings refute the contention of a narrow post-exercise anabolic window to maximize the muscular response and instead lends support to the theory that the interval for protein intake may be as wide as several hours or perhaps more after a training bout depending on when the pre-workout meal was consumed.”

In other words, protein timing doesn’t matter nearly as much as the total amount consumed. There’s no need to sprint shaker-in-hand to fill up your shaker bottle. Protein timing doesn’t make a huge difference.

And do you actually need fancy protein supplements?

This study looked at whether protein supplementation leads to more gains in size and strength.

In short, yes….but not if you have more than 1.6g/kg of protein. This is in line with the .82g/lb recommendation mentioned earlier.

Basically, if you’re not getting enough protein, then a shake will help you make faster gains in the gym.

But if you’re already getting .82g/lb/protein, then extra protein won’t lead to more gains in size and strength.

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Get Your Rocks Off With These Studies and Sources

Will a High-Protein Diet Harm Your Health? The real story on the risks/rewards of eating more protein. (2016, August 30). Retrieved August 24, 2017, from https://www.precisionnutrition.com/will-a-high-protein-diet-harm-your-health

Patel, E. K. (2014, March 06). High-Protein Diets Linked to Cancer: Should You Be Concerned? Retrieved August 24, 2017, from https://examine.com/nutrition/high-protein-diets-linked-to-cancer-should-you-be-concerned/

1 Comment

Seriously the most in depth article I’ve read on this subject and considering I’m having a discussion with someone who is 175lbs and says he needs 300g of protein to grow…this came about the right time for sure.

“appears .82/g/lb of bodyweight is the upper limit of protein needed to derive maximum protein synthesis, according to this 2011 study by Phillips and Van Loon.” Do u have open access to this study I would love to send it to my friend!